Rationale behind Mayo affordable housing application explained

THE rationale to change 10% of a new housing scheme from social to affordable housing has been explained by Mayo County Council's director of services for housing.

The 50-unit project is being constructed in Westport, at the Golf Course Road.

It started life as a social housing project but local councillors asked that some be changed and offered as affordable housing.

Councillor Peter Flynn had requested an update on the application to repurpose 10% of the units as affordable and for the council to explain the rationale behind selecting only 10% as affordable.

He had asked for a significantly higher number of properties to be designated.

A notice of motion by Councillor Flynn is on the agenda for a municipal district meeting today (Tuesday), on which he received the following written reply from director of services Tom Gilligan:

'Mayo County Council, as part of its delivery under the government's Housing for All plan, was allocated a target for the delivery of new build social housing units. This allocation did not contain any targets for affordable housing.

'The council, in recognising the need for affordable housing, did request an allocation and was successful in its application to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage for affordable housing units in Westport and has received approval in principle for 13 units to be delivered separately to its own social housing target.

'In relation to the dwellings on the Golf Course Road, Mayo County Council did receive the necessary approval for 50 social housing units. These units will go towards helping the council meet its social housing need in the area.

'The rationale for seeking to convert 10 per cent of the scheme to affordable housing now is that this is seen as the most pragmatic and realistic opportunity to have an element of affordable housing as part of this scheme.

'Anything above the 10 per cent is unlikely to receive the necessary departmental approval as it may have an impact on our ability to meet our delivery of social housing for Westport as part of our commitment under Housing for All.'